Report: Brent's blood alcohol twice legal limit

Dallas Cowboys football player Josh Brent, center, with a bandaged hand, leaves with unknown persons after a memorial service for practice squad member Jerry Brown at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, in Dallas. Brown died in a suspected drunken-driving accident on Saturday. Brent was the driver and is charged with intoxication manslaughter. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Cowboys nose tackle Joshua Brent, escorted by his attorney George Milner, is released from the Irving City Jail after posting a $500,000 bond, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2012. Brent is charged with intoxication manslaughter after an early Saturday morning crash resulted in the death of his passenger, teammate Jerry Brown. (AP Photo/Dallas Morning News, Brandon Wade)

Citing a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday that Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent had a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit — 0.18 — when he crashed his 2007 Mercedes early Saturday, killing teammate Jerry Brown.

Brent, 24, is free on $500,000 bail after Irving police charged him with intoxication manslaughter. Dallas placed him on the reserve/non-football illness list Wednesday.

Coach Jason Garrett was asked at if Brent's blood alcohol content diminished the team's support for him.

“I don't want to get into the specifics of that situation at all,” Garrett said Thursday in Irving. “There are going to be a lot of details come out about what exactly happened. I don't think it's appropriate for me to stand up here and address all of the different things.

“We will continue to support Josh.”

With Wednesday's roster move, Dallas has the option of not paying Brent the remaining balance of his salary. He has two years left on his contract, with a base salary of $540,000 this season.

Ratliff has surgery, season likely over: Nose tackle Jay Ratliff's season likely came to an end when he underwent surgery for a sports hernia Thursday.

The four-time Pro Bowl pick sat out the last three games after suffering a groin injury. He is the sixth defensive starter the Cowboys have lost due to injury this season.

The hernia injury, coupled with an early-season ankle injury, limited Ratliff to only six games in 2012.

The injuries aren't the only reasons why this season has been a troubled one for Ratliff. After a victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 2, he got into a verbal altercation with owner Jerry Jones that nearly turned physical.

The dust-up started when Jones, 70, told Ratliff, 31, the club needed him on the field. According to Mike Fisher of KRLD-FM and CBSDWF.com, Ratliff made disparaging comments about Jones' age.

Jones said this week he harbors no hard feelings toward Ratliff, but that hasn't stopped speculation that this might be his final season with Dallas.